A short chapter showing how the great and mighty of the realm are reacting to the Bat Man, and how Ned is handling the Jim Gordon role.

Next chapter will be more Batman, I promise.

Scenes From King's Landing.

THE SMALL COUNCIL.

"This is an outrage! My place of business destroyed, my customers brutalized, my property stolen, my person violated..." Lord Baelish was all but foaming at the mouth. "Who will respect the King's Peace if a Lord and a member of the Small Council itself cannot walk the streets in safety?" He turned to glare at Lord Renly, while the Master of Laws shifted uncomfortably. "What are your men doing to bring this brigand to justice?"

Ned sat in stony silence as Baelish's tirade washed over him. Baelish's self-righteousness was grating, given the man's many crimes, but his point was unfortunately valid, and he knew that that last remark had struck home with the rest of the Council. If Baelish could be assaulted on the very steps of the Sept of Baelor, and the perpetrator escape unscathed, then none of them were safe. He would have liked nothing better than to arrest the thieving traitor on the spot, but he had decided that it would be better to wait a few days, to make it more difficult for anyone to associate Baelish's sudden exposure with the actions of the Bat Man. At least the Bat Man's burglary of Baelish's office had gone unnoticed, or if it hadn't, then no one was saying anything. Gods, how he hated this game, which forced good men to deceive one another while trying to guess how much the others knew. Once more, he wondered how far he could really trust his new ally. His information had proven good thus far, but he must have his own motives for waging a one-man war against Baelish's little empire. If indeed that was the scope of his goals. It was unsettling, how easily he seemed able to slip in out and of even the Red Keep unnoticed. If he had ill intent toward the King, or even toward Ned or his family, Ned had little doubt that he could carry it out.

Perhaps the fact that he had not was the surest proof of his trustworthiness. But if he could breach the Red Keep so easily, could not another do so as well? Once more, Ned wrestled with whether to keep his secret informer to himself, or to reveal everything to Robert. He tried to focus his attention as Baelish's tirade paused long enough for Renly to offer a reply.

"We have already increased patrols in Flea Bottom, and around the Sept of Baelor. If you or the Lord Hand are prepared to authorize it, I intend to offer a bounty of 5,000 gold dragons for the Bat Man dead, and 10,000 alive."

They all looked expectantly to Ned. He thought quickly, looking for a way out. He could hardly refuse to offer a bounty, not after the Batman had assaulted a member of the Small Council, not without raising suspicion, but perhaps...

"I think that 10,000 dragons is quite excessive, especially given the current state of the Realm's finances." He glared pointedly at Baelish, who did not even pretend to look abashed. "Indeed, even 5,000 dragons represents an excessive strain on the Treasury." That was true enough, and well within his duty. He turned back to Renly. "I will authorize a bounty of 3,000 dragons for any information leading to the Bat Man's capture."

"As I recall, Lord Stark, the King offered prizes totalling 80,000 dragons for the tournament celebrating your appointment as Hand", Baelish said venomously.

"Against my wishes, as all here may recall", Ned replied coldly. "If his Grace wishes to increase the bounty he may do so, and you may speak to him when he returns from his hunt." With any luck, he could intercept Robert with the news of Baelish's treachery before the scum got the chance. "If you or Lord Renly wish to offer an additional bounty out of your own coffers, you may likewise do so." The money would effectively be coming from the Treasury anyway, at least in Lord Baelish's case. "Now unless anyone has more to add on the subject of the Bat Man, let us move on to other, equally pressing business."

THE MASTER OF WHISPERS.

Varys closed the door of his office behind him, checked that the bolts were securely fastened, then padded over to the desk and opened up the latest scrolls. Most were of little consequence, but the scroll from Casterly Rock caught his eye. Even the smallest morsel of information might prove revealing, even vital, but with tensions rising between Starks and Lannisters, word from the Rock was of the highest import. He kept few eyes and ears in the Westerlands, compared to King's Landing, but he made sure to have a pair or two in the halls of every great Southern House. He had neglected the North somewhat until now, believing it too remote to be of much consequence, but the appointment of Lord Stark as Hand, and the subsequent attempt on his young son's life, had proven that ill-advised. It was not often that Varys admitted a mistake, but he would pay more attention to the North in the future. For now, however, he had more pressing business. He cracked the scroll from the Rock and read through it, one eyebrow rising.

So, someone had dared to rob the Old Lion. More surprisingly, they had managed to escape the attempt seemingly unscathed. Tywin Lannister must be fuming with fury at the exploits of this so called Cat, and he expected that the Lord of the Westerlands would lash out soon in an attempt to sooth his wounded pride, and restore his House's dwindling reputation. Yes, matters in King's Landing would likely be coming to a head, very soon. He hoped that he had placed his pieces well, but Eddard Stark was a stubborn man, his customs were unlike those of the Southerners or Pentoshi or Bravossi Varys was used to dealing with, and the Bat Man represented an unanticipated element. He knew that the Bat Man was working with Lord Stark- Lord Stark had surprised him there, aligning himself with such an outlaw. Unless the Bat Man was actually in Lord Stark's employ, but he did not think so. The first rumours of his presence predated Stark's arrival in King's Landing by more than a month, at the least. Unless Varys was much mistaken, Lord Stark would move against Lord Baelish very soon- the only question was if it would come before or after the crisis with the Lannisters. If after, then Baelish's support for the Lannisters was assured, if only to protect his own skin, and with Baelish, and his control of the Goldcloaks, on their side, their victory was likewise assured. If Lord Stark struck first, however, then the Goldcloaks' loyalty would become a more open question, and matters might fall out in several ways. Still, he believed that a Lannister victory would be the most likely outcome. The Goldcloaks served whoever paid them best, and House Lannister could pay very well indeed.

He pondered, once more, which outcome would be preferable. A swift Lannister victory would leave the realm strong and united- but that seemed increasingly unlikely. Even if the Lannisters overcame Lord Stark's men, which was all but assured, he had no doubt that Stannis would defy the Lannisters, and seek to place himself on the throne by revealing the truth about the Queen's children and their parentage. Renly, too, had plans, and with his ties to House Tyrell, he could field an army more than sufficient to make up for his lack of a legitimate claim. The Vale's loyalties were now uncertain, and even House Greyjoy might be tempted to rebel again, with the realm so divided.

And if House Lannister were victorious, Lord Stark would almost certainly be slain or imprisoned, and while Stark's eldest was unknown, untested, he doubted that the North would forgive such an action lightly. The use of Lord Stark's young daughters as hostages might bring them to heel, and Renly might be seized as well, if the Queen and her men were quick, but Lord Stannis had departed, fortifying his position on Dragonstone. The Dornish and the Ironborn were more difficult to predict, but neither had any great love for House Lannister. Lady Arryn, meanwhile, remained holed up in the Vale, and he doubted that she would emerge from her hiding any time soon. The realm would be torn half a dozen ways, and the dead would be beyond counting.

On the other hand, a swift defeat of the Lannisters promised a better outcome. Stannis and the Stormlands would stand behind Robert, greatly hindering any scheme that Renly and House Tyrell might hatch. The North would likewise stand with Robert, and with them the Riverlands and even the Vale. Against such a formidable alliance, the Dornish and the Ironborn would likely hesitate to strike. House Lannister would fight, but they might very well fight alone, and one kingdom against seven could not long endure. Yet there was no way to assure that outcome. There were too many uncertainties. And into the midst of it all, this strange figure who swooped in like a dark knight or demon out of story or song.

The Bat Man. Who was he? He had pondered the question for many long hours, but had reached no clear answers. Clearly a man of training and wealth, a knight or a lord, given his equipment and skills, or at any rate armed by one. His speech was by all accounts Westrosi, though he spoke with a rasp or growl that distorted his dialect.

An affectation, to conceal his identity or intimidate others, or the result of an illness or injury? It likely mattered little. Probably Westrosi, then, but not of Westrosi training, at least not entirely, given his unconventional methods and skills. There was something of the Bravosi in accounts of his attacks, embellished though they often were, and of someone accostomed to fighting at sea- his agility, and his use of thrown blades, grappling hooks and ropes. He might have thought that the Bat Man was a Faceless Man, if not for the peculiarity of his disguise, and the fact that so many of his targets survived. That was strangest of all. The Bat Man was clearly a fighter of some skill, given the failure of both the Goldcloaks and King's Landing's in some ways more formidable criminal underbelly to eliminate him, yet most of his opponents appeared to have sustained only relatively minor injuries. Most curious.

Nearly as intriguing was the disguise that he had employed. He kept his face concealed, adopting instead this grotesque visage of a bat. That was a fine touch- an element of intimidation, one sensational enough to ensure that his story spread swiftly, and that it grew in the telling. This was a man who wanted to be known, and yet to remain anonymous. To shape his own story. Varys could appreciate that. Power resided where men believed it resided, as he knew very well, and already the Bat Man's legend was growing.

On who's behalf was he acting? He seemed to be hounding Lord Baelish, and Varys would have suspected himself if he did not know better. He had considered the possibility that the Bat Man was trying to direct suspicion onto him, but he would have given it more credit if not for the fact that the Bat Man was, for all his theatrics, far less subtle than either Varys himself or his reputation.

So, not Baelish, and not him. Stark? He did not seem the kind to hire a mercenary to act on his behalf, but neither did he seem the kind to consort with an outlaw at all, much less allow one access to the Red Keep. The Lannisters? Even more unlikely. The Bat Man appeared to be working with Stark, and against Lannister interests, if only indirectly thus far. Moreover, his actions were beginning to stir unrest among the Smallfolk, something which neither Lord Tywin nor his children would be inclined to encourage. The Martells had little love for the Lannisters, but were more likely to favor poison or intrigue, and Prince Doran was a cautious sort. Renly and the Tyrells? Perhaps. Lord Stannis? A definite possibility. Perhaps the strongest based on the information he had. Stannis had the means, and the motive, and the earstwhile Master of Ships could be absolutely ruthless in pursuit of what he believed was right. But, then, why not simply slay the Queen and her offspring outright, since the Bat Man clearly had access to the Red Keep? Was this mercenary or assassin, whoever he was, unwilling to risk near-certain death in penetrating the royal chambers? Or did Stannis fear that the murder of those who stood between him and the throne would cast suspicion onto him? Or was it truly not Lord Stannis at all?

Too many variables, too many uncertainties. But the Spider could be patient. For now, at least, Varys would watch, and listen, and wait.